Something's Gotta Give

Chapter 4

When she arrived they stuck her in the waiting room telling her that the Doctor would come and find her soon.

Their definition of soon and her definition of soon were two very different things. Two hours later the door opened and Dr. Evers walked into the room.

"Penny?" He couldn't keep the surprise from his voice.

"Dr. Evers." Penny's voice was soft. She wasn't surprised to see him. The fact that her father had been brought to his hospital with chest pains meant that there was a high likelihood that he would be the doctor to care for him.

"You're here for Edward Campbell?" He looked tired. He was wearing his scrubs with the classic white Doctor's coat and he had a name badge and a stethoscope around his neck. He looked very official.

"Yes, he's my father," she said, following his lead and sitting down.

Dr. Evers leaned forward towards her, told her the details about her father's condition, and the emergency surgery he had performed. Penny listened to him emotionless, letting his deep soothing voice wash over her. She should be more concerned with her father's health than she was but they had burnt their bridges long ago.

"Why am I here?" She interrupted him.

"I assume you were listed as the emergency contact." His eyes widened slightly at her abrupt question.

"But do I need to be here? Do I need to sign something?" She knew after she spoke that Dr. Evers would probably see her as a heartless shrew, but she didn't care for her father, she never had, and he didn't care for her.

"No, your father was fully conscious before the procedure and he is probably conscious now."

"So I can go, I can leave the hospital?" Penny rose grabbing her bag ready to leave.

"You don't want to see him?" Dr. Evers rose watching her, his thoughts well-guarded.

"Dr. Evers my father and I don't get along-" she stopped him when he looked as if he was about to say something. "If you've just operated on his heart the last thing he should do is see me. I tend to send his blood pressure through the roof. Did he ask you to call me?"

"He didn't ask me and I'm not sure if he asked a nurse, but its standard procedure to call an emergency contact in cases like this."

"Then he probably doesn't know that I'm here and I can-"

Just then the door opened and a cute little brunette stuck her head in the door. "Ms. Campbell, your father is asking to see you."

Penny closed her eyes. There was no way she was getting out of this.

"Thank you Robin, we'll be there shortly." Dr. Evers didn't even turn to look at her; all of his attention was focused on Penny.

"You may not want to see your father but he wants to see you." His voice was still gentle.

"Sure," Penny said, opening her eyes and giving a forced smile. This was not the time or place to have this argument. She would follow the nurse, who she saw waiting outside the door, and go see her father.

As she followed the nurse she lost most of her color, and her heart was beating in her ears. She had left because she had gotten tired of living with the constant fear of what would be said next. The nurse and Dr. Evers were following her down the hall and she wanted to tell them to leave her and let her alone with her father. Penny didn't want witnesses to the humiliation that she was about to go through.

She stopped outside the door and turned with a forced smile on her face hoping they would leave her to it, the nurse patted her shoulder and told her that it would be alright then she went into a long speech about how Dr. Evers was the best, and had made sure that her father was going to be alright. The fact that this was said with such urgency must have meant that Penny looked pretty sickly.